They are a ton of fun.
Compared to a properly stocked hunting rifle they are clumsy and rattle like tin garbage cans.
Still in many parts of the US as varmint control (coyote, rabbit, etc) rifles they are as common as dirt.

As sporting (target/silhouette/action) rifles they are very popular. This type of rifle can be built to be very accurate, also ergonomically very versatile - but it's expensive. Also as noted above, handloaders will at times need to chase and search for their brass.

For a precision rifle I prefer a bolt rifle.
For fast follow-up work I much prefer a double rifle.
For a walking around/stalking hunting rifle they're horrible.
For action matches (3-gun etc) they can't be beat.
They're excellent against gangs of coyote, especially with night optics.